India: Land, Water, Mineral and Energy Resources
Domain 6: India - Land, Water, Mineral and Energy Resources
The exam tests resource classification, distribution and sustainable use across land, water, minerals and energy in India.
Core rules
- Land use categories include forest, net sown area, land not available for cultivation, fallow land and pasture. Land degradation results from erosion, salinity, waterlogging, deforestation and mining.
- Water resources include surface water and groundwater. Irrigation may be canal, tank or well based. Rainwater harvesting and watershed management improve availability; over-extraction causes groundwater depletion.
- Minerals are ferrous, non-ferrous, non-metallic and atomic. A reserve is proven and economically extractable; a resource is broader and may not yet be viable.
- Energy resources are conventional, such as coal, petroleum, natural gas and hydel, and non-conventional, such as solar, wind, tidal, geothermal and biogas. Coal dominates electricity generation but is non-renewable.
Worked example
A plateau district has high-grade iron ore, seasonal rivers and strong sunshine. The ore is a non-renewable mineral resource. A dam on the seasonal river may store water but can displace people. Solar panels suit the sunshine but need land and storage. A balanced answer separates resource type, renewability, location and environmental cost.
Traps
Do not call coal renewable because it is abundant. Do not confuse a mineral resource with a proven reserve. Do not treat all irrigation as sustainable. Do not ignore land-use competition between forests, farming and industry.